Monday, 32 degrees.

Back to work... 

Today, we'll see if any of the kids want to review for next week's AP Lang exam. I will try to help them, but seriously-- I feel like I'm working a helluva lot more than they are. 

But that's beside the point. I have my own "to-do" list: 

  • write a book review
  • start gathering poems to work on a full collection manuscript
  • think about what "next steps" I want for myself as a person and as a writer
I think part of why I'm feeling so out of balance is because I've invested a ton of time into the teaching gig this year, and add to it I've had a lot of "Holly time" (which is good, but it's time spent), and I have not carved out any meaningful time for me to write, read, or just be. It's critical to my mental well-being to have some quiet time, and to be honest, I'm kind of looking forward to the hour between when I get home and when I have to pick up Holly today. Having G home for the week was nice, but I was never quite alone long enough to re-center. 

So, here's to re-establishing some boundaries for myself. It'll do everyone a whole lot of good if I can.

Have a good day, be safe, keep the faith. Hold your loved ones tightly.
C



Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by!

Popular posts from this blog

The "productive struggle" and a week of hard teaching...April is the cruellest month...

Image
UP, and enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee. It's Saturday.  Yes, I'm sort of lazy this morning. It was a helluva busy and exhausting week. But in a few minutes, I'll get myself motivated-- there are things on my agenda that I want to get done. But I'm also going to make sure to put a little "me time" in there. It's all about balance.  My AP Lit kids managed to engage in what is known as "productive struggle" this week-- and it worked. I wanted them to have to fight their way through an assignment (low stakes, but still a grade) and come out the other side being more competent. They were tasked with annotating T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land." Yeah, I'm that miserable *itch of a teacher. LOL It's rough going, to be sure. Then yesterday, I put them in pairs (no student input--work with whom you get) and assigned each pair a section of the poem to present an explication for, and they also had to answer four questions: what is the...
Read more

Easter was nice--next up...

Image
What a busy weekend-- I got a lot done. It felt both good and odd to basically just hang around all day yesterday. We all went to church, then home for a hearty brunch. Then just hung out-- Holly got a bit antsy, but she is four and sitting and reading for hours, or watching TV, or snoozing, are not on her dance card just yet. But we all had a pretty restful day. Amen.  Time and tide wait for no one, though, and we are launching into National Poetry Month. I wrapped up the pre-order sales for my book on Friday, and I should have the final sales sheet later today. Then, I'll get to signing and sending out the broadsides I had made as my thank you to those who bought books ahead of publication date. I truly do appreciate the support! And my dear friend Dawn Potter was named the next Poet Laureate of Maine! So much to celebrate-- good words and community win! And yet house work creeps back in. And I see so much yard work that will have to happen--but not yet. Flurries are in the forec...
Read more